What are some best practices for inclusive design and communication?
Inclusive design and communication are essential for creating products, services, and experiences that are accessible, usable, and respectful of diverse users and audiences. Inclusive design and communication aim to reduce barriers, biases, and stereotypes that may exclude or marginalize people based on their identity, background, ability, or preference. In this article, we will explore some best practices for inclusive design and communication that can help you foster innovation, diversity, and inclusion in your creative strategy.
The first step for inclusive design and communication is to understand who your users are, what their needs, goals, challenges, and preferences are, and how they interact with your product, service, or message. You can use various methods, such as user research, personas, empathy maps, user journeys, and feedback, to gain insights into your users' perspectives, experiences, and expectations. You should also consider the diversity of your users in terms of their culture, language, age, gender, disability, and other factors that may affect their access and experience.
Accessibility is the quality of being easily reached, entered, or used by people with disabilities or other limitations. Designing for accessibility means ensuring that your product, service, or message can be perceived, understood, operated, and enjoyed by as many people as possible, regardless of their abilities or circumstances. You can use accessibility guidelines, standards, and tools, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool, to check and improve the accessibility of your design and communication.
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Brianne Janacek Reeber
Global Content Marketing and Communications Leader @ Google
Our team adds alt-text for imagery. That way the content can be fully experienced by those who use screen readers. This typically happens in the proofreading stage when a piece is in the final steps of production.
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Language is a powerful tool for communication, but it can also convey implicit or explicit messages about your values, beliefs, and attitudes. Using inclusive language means choosing words and expressions that are respectful, accurate, and appropriate for your audience and context. You should avoid using language that is discriminatory, offensive, stereotypical, or exclusionary, such as slurs, labels, generalizations, or assumptions. You should also use gender-neutral, person-first, or identity-affirming language, such as they/them pronouns, people with disabilities, or LGBTQ+ community.
Diversity is the recognition and appreciation of the differences and similarities among people in terms of their identity, background, ability, or preference. Representation is the inclusion and visibility of diverse people and perspectives in your design and communication. Embracing diversity and representation means acknowledging and celebrating the richness and complexity of human experience and expression. You should avoid using images, symbols, or stories that are clichéd, stereotypical, or tokenistic. You should also seek input, feedback, and collaboration from diverse stakeholders, experts, and communities.
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Mike Bednar
Award Winning Creative Leader/Strategist, Content Creator and Storyteller. Current Chief Creative & Strategy Officer at Jarfish.co
Something to think about as we all move forward is collaborative creativity. Inclusion, taken literally, is about including others. In concept development and ideation, creativity can become an isolated experience. A bit of a black box mentaility, waiting to show others with ideas are finished. Instead, a collaborative method brings other, diverse voices into the creative process. It is a natural way to merge creativity and inclusivity. And, once creatives get the hang of it, the process can develop even better ideas.
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Brianne Janacek Reeber
Global Content Marketing and Communications Leader @ Google
One way to build content with inclusivity in mind is to ensure your audience can see themselves in your work. Our team's head of creative has built an inclusive illustration library that designers can work from as they pull and modify imagery to accompany written content. The library includes depictions of people with varying skin tones, hair styles, ages, and abilities.
Testing and iterating are essential for any design and communication process, but especially for inclusive design and communication. Testing and iterating means evaluating and improving your product, service, or message based on the feedback and performance of your users and audiences. You should test your design and communication with a diverse and representative sample of users and audiences, using various methods, such as usability testing, surveys, interviews, or analytics. You should also be open to learning from your mistakes, challenges, and opportunities, and be willing to make changes and improvements accordingly.
Inclusive design and communication are not static or fixed, but dynamic and evolving. Learning and growing means keeping up with the changing needs, preferences, and expectations of your users and audiences, as well as the emerging trends, best practices, and innovations in your field. You should also be curious and humble about the diverse perspectives, experiences, and knowledge of other people and cultures. You should also be reflective and critical about your own biases, assumptions, and blind spots, and be committed to challenging and overcoming them.
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